FAQ

The coursework for the program is entirely online. It is prerecorded and to be done at your own pace. Occasionally courses may be held live online or in person but they will be recorded and uploaded to the platform for watching at one’s one pace.

We don’t actually believe this is the ideal way to learn. The best way is at the feet of teachers in person. However, we recognize that our lives are really busy and it’s hard to do that. So we have come up with this format to facilitate studying for those who want to get a basic foundation. If we have further programs with the seminary they probably will not be on this format. 

Once you sign up for the term you will have access to it for as long as you want. If you need to take extra time, take extra time. Then you can just move on to the next term at the following enrollment. 

You can, but we really prefer if people take the terms as sets, even if they take longer than one quarter to do them. This allows them to take it all in together and to feel like they are part of the group.

We believe that interacting with the instructors is absolutely essential. There are a number of ways this can be done. The first is through the telegram groups. There is a general students group for broader discussions around knowledge and community. There are also dedicated groups for each class where issues related to that class can be discussed in more detail. Our core instructors also teach regularly on-site at The Majlis so you can follow their live classes and/or come visit us in person anytime. Lastly, our instructors also have publicly accessible office hours that can be booked through our website. 

All of the madhhabs are great and we hope we can add the other two as well.

This program is meant to provide basic knowledge for community servants. As such the heavier classes such as fiqh, usul al-fiqh, Hadith sciences, and Quran sciences are all at beginner level. Seminary offerings beyond the two-year program would delve into heavier texts.

We adhere to a traditional method of teaching where we study directly from texts and as such it is hard to say how long they will take before they are finished. We are recording one term at a time through the first two years so we will only really know once we get there. After finishing the recording of the first four terms we have found each term to roughly involve about 25 hours of video content. Then it will be a matter of how much studying and review the person does. 

It is our hope that most people are able to attend with some advance notice and planning. It is tough on us as teachers to graduate students that we have never met. However, we do understand that there are exceptional cases and we can discuss those as they come. Our goal is not to make things difficult or impossible, but there is a rigor necessary that includes committing to some time in person.

We will not turn away students based on lack of funds. However, we hope that people will take this knowledge seriously and know that a lot of work goes into the back end of preparing the program and producing the content, as well as regular follow up with the students. 

There will be options to pay for the terms as one payment or as three payments spread out over the quarter. 

Some financial aid will be available and will be zakah based. In order to qualify you will need to email us at seminary@themajlis.us and fill out a form about your need. 

If you are a regular community member of The Majlis in person in Southern California you get an automatic discount of 15% as an appreciation to you because you are the ones that have made this possible. What makes this program special is that we see and interact with you every week. 

If you are a regular volunteer in person at The Majlis you get an automatic discount as well, which is much more than the other, because you are the real bread and butter of this organization. 

If you are in a different category, but need some help, email us and we can discuss. Again, we want you to be able to learn. 

Arabic is not required. Sometimes the course text will be in Arabic or we may read the original Arabic and translate, but the instruction is in English. When we read the Arabic text it will be more for accuracy and for exposing students to the Arabic so they can slowly grow in their comprehension. 

Arabic as a subject is not part of the program. We believe that Arabic is absolutely essential for anyone serious about Islamic Studies. However, we also recognize that it takes a significant time commitment and is not necessary for the foundational levels. So for this level we believe that it is more beneficial to spend time on understanding the religion. At higher levels of study Arabic will be necessary and required. 

Yes, some of these topics we have covered in the past in in-person sessions. Those old recordings will be removed from YouTube and Soundcloud. Also, we will be making new recordings that are specific to this program. As such they will be more focused on students of knowledge rather than general community sessions. So they will be different in their scope and emphasis.

Only that the student can handle the course load. If they are 16 and up and are serious they should be able to handle it, even if it takes a little extra work and review.

For those that finish the program there will be a certificate of completion that states that they have finished the program. In addition to this the instructors may provide ijazah, for specific courses or in general, to exceptional students. The important thing is that one puts in effort to study and master the material, if they do that then it is easy to acquire ijazat afterwards.